Students angry over pricey courses at community college pepper-sprayed

SANTA MONICA. (AP) - The dozens of student protesters who were pepper-sprayed by police at a California community college weren't just angry about not getting into a meeting of school trustees.

State news briefs

• Driver arrested for texting with baby in lap: TORRANCE (AP) - Police say they've arrested a Hawthorne woman who was driving on a freeway while texting and holding her baby daughter in her lap.

SoCal group approves foot-friendly transit plan

State news briefs

SHERIFF'S ASSOCIATION BACKS BROWN'S TAX PROPOSAL: SAN DIEGO (AP) - Gov. Jerry Brown is collecting an endorsement for his tax initiative proposal from the California State Sheriffs' Association.

SF Giants pursuing $1.6 B development planned for AT&T parking lot, nearby dock

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The San Francisco Giants unveiled a $1.6 billion plan Wednesday to convert the parking lot at AT&T Park and an adjacent pier into homes, offices, shops and restaurants. The "Mission Rock" project calls for up to 1,000 rental units, 125,000 square feet of retail space and as much as 1.7 million square feet of office space on the ...

Bay Area briefs

new vinyl seats OAKLAND (AP) - The Bay Area Rapid Transit Agency has installed new, easy-to-clean vinyl seats on four train cars. The seats made their debut on Tuesday. The agency expects to have them in 100 cars by the end of the month. BART agreed last year to spend $1.9 million to change the seats on 100 cars ...

Yahoo sweeps out 2,000 employees in purge

Power shortages loom on south state with idled nuke plant at San Onofre

Nursing director thinks she was target of shooter at Oakland school

White residue on spoon in Houston's room

State news briefs

Animal fat-to-biofuel plant proposed

Lawsuit challenges suction dredges for gold mining destroys Indian cultural resources

Trump says transgender hopeful can enter pageant

Chevron facing more taxes on Richmond refinery after trying to get them lowered

RICHMOND (AP) - Chevron Corp. owes additional taxes on its refinery in Richmond because Contra Costa County undervalued the facility by hundreds of millions of dollars, a county assessment appeals board has ruled. The Assessment Appeals Board made the decision Monday while rejecting Chevron's contention that it actually owed less in tax bills from 2007 through 2009. Chevron claimed the county had ...

Cap-and-trade fees become key source for high speed rail plan

Bill would prohibit ticket-buying software

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Music and sports fans would have one less obstacle in buying tickets to popular events under a bill advancing through the California Legislature. Legislation by Democratic Assemblyman Richard Pan of Sacramento would prohibit the use of robotic ticket-buying software. Supporters of AB329 say scalpers use the software to bombard online box offices and then resell tickets at higher prices. Lawmakers previously deleted a provision that would have allowed transfers of paperless event ...

Professor assigns students to make ad for his campaign

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A San Francisco State University professor considering a run for Oakland mayor is drawing scrutiny for a class assignment that asked students to create a political campaign ad and gave them the option of developing it for him. Joe Tuman said he would use the ad if it were good, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Thursday. But ethics experts said any such use of the students' work could run afoul ...

Bay Area briefs

SWALLOWS LAWSUIT MAY DELAY PETALUMA BRIDGE WORK : PETALUMA (AP) - A lawsuit accuses state and federal regulators of causing the death of dozens of migratory cliff swallows by placing nets on a Sonoma County bridge during a highway widening project.

State releases health reform plans, pricing

OC seeks state permission to charge for rescues

OC seeks state permission to charge for rescues

Injured volunteer seeks payment from lost hiker

6 plead not guilty in school embezzlement

Driver impaled by metal rod on I-580 near Livermore.

Snacking deputy's crash costs Santa Clara County $5M

Brown defends California's business climate

State news briefs

POSTAL WORKER SENTENCED IN MAIL THEFT: SAN CARLOS, Calif. (AP) - A San Francisco Bay area postal worker accused of stealing thousands of pieces of mail to obtain credit cards has been sentenced to 18 months in jail.

State news briefs

LAWYER: TEEN USED 'MURDER KIT' ON GIRL'S PARENTS: LOS ANGELES (AP) - Prosecutors say a teenager accused of murdering his girlfriend's parents was equipped with a "murder kit" to kill the Compton couple.

Montana man dies in Yosemite climbing accident

Unclaimed veterans' remains laid to rest